THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
4 MARCH 2018
When
Jesus encounters the woman at the well, he asks for a drink. She gives him a drink, but receives much more
in return from him. As the story
unfolds, it becomes obvious that he is the faithful bridegroom. His ancestors had come to this well to woo
prospective brides. And that is what he
is doing now. In taking a drink from
the woman, he defies cultural norms forbidding men to speak to women alone in
public. In taking a drink from a
Samaritan, he makes himself ritually unclean.
He is reaching out to an outcast.
Her ancestors had pursued false gods, just as six different husbands had
used her. Jesus becomes the seventh, and
perfect, bridegroom.
In talking
with Jesus, the woman grows in her understanding of his identity. At first, she recognizes him as a very kind
man who treats her with respect. Then
she sees him as a prophet, someone who knows and speaks the truth about her
sordid background. Finally, she
recognizes him as the Messiah, the promised Christ who has come at noon as the
Light of the World to give eternal life to those who embrace him. Then the woman does something dramatic. She leaves her bucket at the well and becomes
the first evangelist, telling everyone in the village about her encounter with
the promised Messiah.
For over a
year now, we have been working in the Rite of Christian Initiation with ten
young people and adults who have come to know Jesus Christ. By joining us every Tuesday night for prayer,
catechesis, faith sharing, and fellowship, they have given something very
valuable: the gift of their precious
time and energy. Now they have entered
the Season of Lent as the Elect, chosen by Bishop Rhoades for the Sacraments of
Initiation. At the 10:00 Mass today, we
prayed the first of the three Scrutinies over them. We prayed that their thirst for the waters of
Baptism would draw them closer to Jesus Christ, letting go of any other “water
buckets” that might get in the way of a deep and abiding faith in the One who
offers eternal life through the living waters of Baptism, the strengthening
Chrism of Confirmation, and the abiding real presence of the Lord in the
Eucharist. Like the woman at the well,
they are reaping much more than they have been sowing, because they look
forward to being incorporated into the person of Jesus Christ and his Church
and receiving the promise of eternal life.
As we
accompany these good people through the journey of Lent, the Lord challenges us
to consider what we might be sowing.
Most of us have already renounced Satan and all his empty promises and
lies. We have already received the
fullness of life through the waters of Baptism.
As the Scrutinies heal whatever keeps the Elect from growing closer to
Christ, they convict us of not living our baptismal promises. We have weakened or separated ourselves from
the faithful Bridegroom by our sins. By giving
ourselves to the Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we can
distinguish a little more clearly those realities which can never fully satisfy
our thirsts. Those water buckets might
include our thirst for pleasure or financial gain or fame any other reality
which cannot last. In leaving these
water buckets behind, we can more readily associate ourselves with Jesus
Christ, the source of life giving water.
For us who
are baptized, the Sacrament of Reconciliation invites us to bring our water
buckets and leave them there with the Lord’s mercy. Like the woman at the well, we can join the
newly baptized at Easter and become evangelists ourselves, spreading the good
news about our faithful bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who offers eternal life to
all who believe. When the Good News of
Jesus Christ is spread, then the answer to the question asked in the Book of
Exodus is clear. Is the Lord in our
midst or not? Yes, he definitely is!
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